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Intense fighting broke out in the Nagorni Karabakh conflict region in the southern Caucasus early Sunday morning. The authorities declared a state of war. Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other of escalation.
Recruitment of volunteers in the capital of Armenia, Yerevan.
(dpa) The South Caucasus Republic of Armenia has declared martial law after fighting with Azerbaijan in the Nagorni Karabakh conflict region. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced Sunday in Erewan.
In Nagorni Karabakh there has been intense fighting between the warring countries Azerbaijan and Armenia since early Sunday morning, according to both sides. The capital of the Republic of Nagorni Karabach, which is not recognized by international law, Stepanakert, was shot, people must get to safety, authorities said. Numerous houses in towns were destroyed. It is also said that there are wounded. All employable residents 18 and older should be prepared, according to agencies.
Both sides blamed each other for the fighting. The shelling started early in the morning from the Azerbaijani side, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan wrote on Facebook. “All responsibility for this lies with the military and political leadership of Azerbaijan,” said the spokeswoman for the Armenian Defense Ministry. Erewan shot down helicopters and combat drones. Three enemy tanks were hit. Baku denied this and emphasized that the fighting was a counter-offensive on the front line. Armenia provoked the fighting.
The region controlled by Armenia belongs under international law to Islamic Azerbaijan. Baku lost control of the Christian Armenian-inhabited area of Karabakh in a war that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. There has been a ceasefire in the region since 1994, but it has been repeatedly broken. In July there was intense fighting on the border between the republics at war; however, the fighting took place north of Karabakh. Armenia depends on Russia as a protective power, which has stationed thousands of soldiers and weapons there. Azerbaijan has the support of Turkey.
